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EDITORIAL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kat Leon
MANAGING EDITOR
Brad Le
NEWS EDITOR
Zoë Buhrmaster* (out until Fall)
CO-NEWS EDITOR
Alyssa Anderson
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Macie Harreld
SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR
Cameron Rodriguez
SPORTS EDITOR
Laura Kowall
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Nick Gatlin
PHOTO EDITOR
Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani
ONLINE MEDIA MANAGER
Sam Johnson
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Isabel Zerr
CONTRIBUTORS
Kai Field
Amber Finnegan
PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Whitney McPhie
DESIGNERS
Neo Clark
TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS
George Olson
Hongzu Pan
Sara Ray
ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA
Reaz Mahmood
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Maria Dominguez
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR
Rae Fickle
To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
MISSION STATEMENT
Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
ABOUT Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com
Being in this role enables me to keep on learning and evolving. I've always treasured knowledge and our shared comprehension of how things operate. Often we imagine science confined to clinical lab settings, but the world we live in is rich with countless influences. Gathering knowledge can be as straightforward as observing the world around us.
Within the realm of academia, we uphold rigorous standards defined by agreed-upon guidelines and knowledge reviewed by experts, all built upon the foundations of existing work. While science sometimes felt distant—as if locked away in an ivory tower—I believe it's much more than mere information. It resides in our innate curiosity about the world and its inner workings. This is something anyone can do.
As a communication major, my central focus lies in community building and nurturing diverse, thought-provoking relationships through effective communication. The way we convey information—its tone, subject and expression—shapes how it's perceived and valued. Scientific understanding is fortified by the array of viewpoints contributed by others, motivating us to cultivate sturdy theories that we hold dear.
Through this journey, I have the privilege of engaging with a spectrum of bright minds—from first-year students to esteemed doctoral professors— as they discuss subjects close to their hearts. I aspire to engage with even more individuals, continuing my learning journey and making meaningful contributions to the vibrant Portland State community.
Water is both a resource and a setting for recreational activities in Oregon. Even in the metropolitan area, you will see people swimming, floating, boating and kayaking on the Willamette river. With bodies of water playing a vital role in Oregonians’ day-to-day activities, we need to understand and mitigate the potential harms which could impact populations.
Algae blooms are a potential risk which can cause severe health issues when exposed to people, pets and livestock. We must understand what an algae bloom is to know the risk, though.
Algae can encompass a wide variety of life and potentially thousands of species. “We should not put a bad label on algae,” said Dr. Yangdong Pan, professor of environmental science and management at Portland State. “Only a handful of them can produce toxins and they can develop a very large population within a very short time period. Those are the troublemakers.”
These populations which bloom are often referred to in the science community as harmful algal blooms (HABs). Dr. Pan described the bloom as an “accumulation of a huge amount of biomass within a very short time period if the condition is favorable[...] then, some of those species have the capacity to produce toxins.”
The main HABs focus is often freshwater bodies in Oregon with blue-green algae—or more accurately, cyanobacteria blooms (CyanoHABs).
These blooms often occur when the conditions are favorable, cycling with a large bloom followed by a water ecosystem crash. These blooms have become more frequent and extensive in size, often taking longer to clear up here in the United States.
“The water column stability, too much nutrients, then a warm temperature—those are the main reasons why [HABs] are so abundant,” Dr. Pan said.
Some elements need global solutions—such as warmer temperatures—but others are a local problem which calls for a local solution—such as nutrient pollution.
“Phosphorus, nitrogen from agriculture, from our backyard, from [when] we put too much fertilizer [down and] the rain washes it into the water bodies,” Dr. Pan said. “Excessive amount of nutrients is something we can do [something about]. [It] requires watershed management.”
What classifies an algal bloom as harmful often depends on its effect with toxins being the main factor, since it directly threatens humans and animals.
“Cyanobacteria is very diverse, and they can produce toxins that do different things,” said Dr. Taylor Dodrill, a recent PSU environmental science Ph.D. graduate. “There’s toxins that affect your brain, there’s toxins that affect your liver, there’s toxins that just affect your skin, so it can take a lot of different forms—which is why I say it’s better to err on the side of caution.”
Dr. Dodrill also explained the risk from indirect contact with contaminated water. For example, the scum that washes up on the shore can often get onto dogs and livestock that tend to lick themselves, which can be fatal.
Another way HABs can cause harm is by depleting the oxygen in water, which can kill other living creatures and plants that rely on oxygen-rich water to survive.
“[When there is] a very dense form of biomass on top of the surface, what that does is because the bloom is constantly decomposing,” Dr. Dodrill said. “That decomposition under the surface drives down oxygen below the bloom, and that can create low-oxygen environments that can result in the killing of things like fish and other organisms if it’s really thick.”
Algae blooms can occur in marine systems and estuaries but present differently. “Most of the blooms we get on the Oregon coast, you can’t see them with your naked eye,” said Lara Jansen, a Ph.D. student in the earth environment and society program at PSU. “In freshwater, a lot of times you’ll see surface scum or something like that looks green, or it smells bad, but you don’t always get that in marine systems.”
People may only be aware of the risk they face with a visual cue, emphasizing the need to check government websites for potential HABs along the Oregon Coast.
This is especially true for people who collect shellfish along the coast. “These are mostly filter feeders, so they just take in water and are eating whatever particles come through to a certain extent, but then they also have the ability to, what’s called depurate, so they can excrete some of those toxins,” Jansen said.
As scientists continue to develop mitigation strategies and test solutions for reducing the size and frequency of these blooms, individuals can consult public advisories and closures to assess their risk of exposure.
Familiarize yourself with where you can find advisory information on any bodies of water you interact with regularly. For CyanoHABs, it’s good to know the visual signs. “Look out for very bright green scum on the water that is almost neon-ish or maybe even a golden color,” Dr. Dodrill said. “Generally, you want to look for a very strong coloration. It almost looks like paint slick. That’s when you should really be concerned because that means it’s very dense.”
It is essential to be aware of the visual cues of cyanotoxins, even if there is no advisory, as some bodies of water may not be regularly monitored or reported. Additionally, there are currently no filtration systems which can remove cyanotoxins from water.
Even if you’re not swimming, the water you interact with can still expose you to toxins. “Some misunderstand that when there’s a bloom that you can be safe if you’re boating, but there’s also an issue when you are boating—especially at high speeds— that can actually aerosolize the toxins,” Dr. Dodrill said.
“Some of [the HABs] are some of the most toxic by weight substances on earth,” Jansen said. “So they can really make you quite ill if you come into contact with them. So it’s good to check.”
It’s time for University Housing and Residence Life (UHRL) to change their outdated air conditioning policy.
As students living in campus housing probably already know, the 2022–2023 UHRL Housing Handbook prohibits the use of air conditioners anywhere within residence halls
The housing policy only includes two short sentences about air conditioning. The first confirms that no residence halls have air conditioning, and the second states simply that “Air Conditioners are not permitted in the Residence Halls.”
The policy also prohibits evaporative coolers which “connect to a window, vent out a window, or require any adaptations to the window.” The reasoning behind this is unclear and not stated anywhere in the handbook.
Even after years of successive heat waves with summer temperatures looking to remain dangerously high in the coming years, Portland State has neglected to provide any cooling solutions for students living in university housing.
That’s not to say that PSU should undergo a full renovation of every residence hall, although some renovations shouldn’t be out of the question. Considering PSU’s $32 million budget surplus from the 2020–2021 fiscal year and the Board of Trustees’ $10 million start-up fund plus housing stipend for new President Ann Cudd, the university could afford to have done something by now.
As of now, the first-floor Blumel lobby has a large cooling unit running all hours of the day with a vent that blows out the window. This kind of window vent is precisely what the handbook prohibits, but that’s not the main point here.
If UHRL can provide a cooling system like that for the firstfloor lobby, why can’t it do that for the lobbies on every floor? If students aren’t allowed to have air conditioning, the school should step up and provide an alternative.
As for students not being allowed air conditioning in the first place, UHRL owes it to students to tell us exactly why this policy is in place. We deserve to know the reasoning behind a housing regulation which has the potential to cause serious bodily harm to students during periods of extreme heat.
According to Multnomah County, the vast majority of the 72 Portlanders who died in the 2021 heat dome lived in households without air conditioning. Air conditioning is no longer a luxury in Portland—it’s a necessity. If UHRL is going to outright ban students from using their own air conditioning units, we deserve to have a say in what the alternative will be.
“[The air conditioning] policy and the [handbook] in general have existed for some time, and it is reviewed and updated annually,” said Ashley Wendler, executive director of UHRL. “Additionally, housing residents sign a housing contract and not a lease, which allows PSU Housing & Residence Life to have agreements that best work in an educational setting, including providing housing exclusive to PSU students.”
If the implication here is that a housing contract somehow exempts UHRL from the requirements of Oregon law, that’s mistaken. According to Oregon Revised Statute chapter 90 section 100 (ORS 90.100), a rental agreement is defined as “all agreements, written or oral, and valid rules and regulations [...] embodying the terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit and premises.” This includes leases but also any “week-to-week tenancy, month-to-month tenancy or fixed term tenancy,” the last of which plainly describes the
terms of UHRL fixed-term housing contracts.
To clarify further, a tenant is defined by Oregon law as “a person, including a roomer, entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a dwelling unit to the exclusion of others, including a dwelling unit owned, operated or controlled by a public housing authority.”
A landlord is defined as “the owner, lessor or sublessor of the dwelling unit or the building or premises of which it is a part” or “a person who is authorized by the owner, lessor or sublessor to manage the premises or to enter into a rental agreement.”
UHRL is a landlord, students who live in UHRL residence halls are tenants and housing contracts are rental agreements. Calling it a housing contract instead of a lease is a distinction without a difference.
By any plain reading of the law, UHRL is bound by Oregon rental law the same as any other landlord, which includes the amendments to ORS 90 enacted by Oregon Senate bill 1536 (SB 1536).
“A landlord may not enforce a restriction on portable cooling devices against a tenant allowed under subsection (2) of this section unless the restrictions are in writing and delivered to the tenant,” states SB 1536, which came into effect in March 2022. “The written restrictions must include whether the landlord intends to operate, whenever there is an extreme heat event for the county of the premises, one or more community cooling spaces available to the tenant that are located on or near the premises and that maintain a temperature of not higher than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Currently, the 2022–2023 handbook includes no reference to cooling spaces.
“[UHRL] air conditioner policy is based on the limitations of the electrical systems in the residence halls, some of which cannot support the electric pull of portable air conditioners,” Wendler said. “UHRL has had conversations with Facilities & Property Management this summer about how we can best allow air conditioners in the future, and we believe that next summer we will be able to allow air conditioners in multiple residence halls, although there are a number of details to navigate to ensure that residents with air conditioners are not negatively impacting other residents.”
One significant amendment which SB 1536 made to the Oregon rental code is an addition to the definition of uninhabitable residences. A rented space is required to have an electrical supply “of sufficient amperage to meet reasonable year-round needs for electrical heating and cooling uses.”
These amendments to ORS 90.730 only apply to spaces in which “the electrical supply or electrical supply connection is replaced” after March 2022, but that does mean that PSU will have to come around eventually.
In the meantime, Wendler stated, “students with disabilities can work with the Disability Resource Center to determine if an air conditioner is a reasonable accommodation and possibly be approved to have an air conditioner in their unit.”
As I’ve written before, students shouldn’t be forced to disclose their health status to the university to have their basic needs met. Nobody—regardless of health status or disability—can stay healthy in a living space that is routinely heated above 90°F.
Student renters do not have any fewer rights than other renters just because they live in a university residence hall instead of an apartment. UHRL has had two years since the 2021 heat dome to act on extreme heat in their buildings, and the patchwork system of accommodations it’s pieced together is wholly inadequate for the task.
UHRL must work with students in good faith to update their buildings and amend the housing code before the next major heat wave. Otherwise, the next extreme heat death might come from one of PSU’s residence halls.
The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) reopened this summer after a fourmonth period of renovation. Alongside three core exhibitions which focus on Oregon’s Jewish community and the state’s history of discrimination, OJMCHE has added a new core exhibit, Human Rights after the Holocaust, as well as a temporary exhibit—The Jews of Amsterdam, Rembrandt and Pander—open through Sept. 24.
The recent installations emphasize the importance and timeliness of educating people about the Holocaust in the present day. The narrative that this genocide was a finite, anomalous event, far removed from the present day is erroneous and poses a threat to democracy.
The Holocaust started long before 1938. Years of antisemitism, aggressive nationalism and complicity to xenophobic ideologies
established a basis for state-sponsored mass murder. Throughout these two exhibitions, OJMCHE traces the Holocaust from the seventeenth century to genocides which echo into today.
The Jews of Amsterdam, Rembrandt and Pander traverse nearly 400 years of Jewish history in one particular place— Amsterdam. This story starts with Rembrandt van Rijn, born in the Netherlands in 1606.
Rembrandt’s Amsterdam represents the splendor of the Dutch Golden Age—an era of newfound wealth and cultural renaissance. This prosperity was doubtless due partly to contributions made by the large influx of Jewish immigrants, who sought refuge from the persecution suffered in wider Europe and the Middle East—particularly in the Spanish Inquisition.
“Amsterdam promised religious freedom of practice to all comers,” said Bruce Guenther, OJMCHE adjunct curator for
special exhibitions. “So for 150 years, the Jewish community enjoyed a freedom unseen elsewhere in the seventeenth century. Rembrandt is a witness to that.”
This exhibition showcases 22 of Rembrandt’s etchings depicting the tradition and culture of Amsterdam’s thriving Jewish community. Rembrandt was not a Jew—yet his integration and solidarity within the Jewish community are tangible in his works and unfortunately unique among non-Jewish artists of his time.
“It’s one of the first moments in European art history where the humanity of the Jew was represented,” Guenther said. “Before this, before the medieval period, they were, of course, discriminated against—they were not represented as human.”
The works illustrate stories and figures of the Tanakh—often modeled after real people in Rembrandt’s community—as well as prominent Jews who commissioned portraits from the artist.
Juxtaposing Rembrandt’s celebration of the Jewish presence is six large oil paintings documenting their absence. These are the works of acclaimed Portland artist Henk Pander.
Born in the Netherlands in 1937, Pander experienced the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam as a young child and the aftermath of the city ravaged by war. At age 27, Pander relocated to Portland, where he remained until his death in April of this year.
At first glance, this colorful series presents a charming Dutch cityscape—overlaid on crimson sunsets and trees shedding Autumn—and yet the paintings transform with a closer look. The window panes are broken glass, tree branches wilt at contorted angles and what seemed like a sunset is actually flame. Most ominous of all, the city is deserted.
This was the thriving Jewish community of Rembrandt’s time.
Pander paints the empty streets and abandoned buildings of the Jewish quarter as testimony to the atrocity he witnessed.
“The buildings provide mute witness to the destruction of the Jewish community in the Netherlands, where 75% of the population were murdered and did not return at the end of the war,” Guenther said.
“That’s the contrast,” Guenther said. “The optimism and the solidity of the Dutch Golden Age and Rembrandt who witnesses the pinnacle, and Pander who was a witness of the end.”
Entering the room adjacent to this exhibition, visitors will find the museum’s new core exhibition, Human Rights after the Holocaust. Here is where Judy Margles, executive director of OJMCHE, quoted Stanislaw Lem in a recent media preview.
“I believe that this Holocaust has not yet ended,” Margles repeated. “That is to say, yes, in a sense, it ended with World War II, but it keeps reappearing in various forms and versions here and there. What about Cambodia? Strange efforts to make a people happier by exterminating half of the nation. All this is an extension of the Holocaust.”
As much as each generation wants to believe that they would not abide by the manmade atrocities that history has revealed us culpable of, this exhibit exposes the contrary.
“We’re constantly asking the question, ‘What lessons have we learned from the Holocaust?’” said Scott Miller, the OJMCHE guest curator and former chief curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. “‘What lessons have we not learned from the Holocaust?’ And this exhibit, I think, begins to give some of the answers.”
The concepts and language surrounding genocide and human rights were standardized as a result of the Holocaust. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) in 1948. OJMCHE’s Human Rights after the Holocaust examines five fundamental human rights and how various communities fail to respect them.
For example, Article 14 of the UDHR states that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” The exhibition outlines various instances in which countries deny this right.
In western Sudan, Darfur’s civilians suffer levels of violence which recall the 2003 state-sponsored genocide in this region. “Ethnically motivated attacks, systematic looting, rape, and aerial bombardments,” name some of the atrocities reported by the UN. While an estimated two million South Sudanese have fled, millions remain internally displaced.
Denial of refuge is an ongoing issue, particularly in the world’s most developed countries. This exhibition identifies the western world’s complicity as innocent neighbors suffer. Many European Union countries limit refugee arrivals at highly disproportionate rates compared to their non-EU counterparts, refuse entry to asylum seekers or confine them to camps and detainment centers.
The U.S. is no better, with a system so under-supported and restrictions so stringent that even the few who arrive at consideration may have to wait years in unmanageable legal limbo.
This issue is one of many local human rights violations addressed by Human Rights after the Holocaust. Others include Islamophobic and antisemitic violence, restricting reproduc-
tive rights with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and undermining the democratic election during the Jan. 6 insurrection in 2021.
The exhibition highlights the nature of genocide as a multifaceted atrocity that evolves from the gradual and cumulative deterioration of human rights. Genocide indeed happened again after the Holocaust, and it still happens now.
Human Rights after the Holocaust outlines some grave abuses, including the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s, the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s and the ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people committed by the Chinese government.
The exhibition’s final section focuses on activism and advocacy. Supporting alternative media, art and expressionism that represent marginalized groups allows those voices space in our lives. Combining this with protesting unfair systems and engaging in political reform can prevent oppression from escalating into violence.
Even the educational potential of museums is a tool for social change. Today’s greater accessibility of information indicates hope for a brighter future.
“Because of social media, the media [and] the press, people can’t say they don’t know what’s happening in the world the way that many people did not know in the 1940s,” Miller said. “That we might be in a better situation to do what the world could not do for the Jews during the Holocaust—to raise public consciousness, to protest, to effect change.”
As the school year approaches, Portland State students and staff must decide whether to buy parking permits for the year. Although parking on campus is convenient for some, others worry about the safety of PSU parking garages and the high cost of parking passes.
Dory Hammersley, a graduate student at PSU, said she purchased a parking permit after having several negative interactions on TriMet during her commute to and from campus from the St. Johns neighborhood in north Portland. However, Hammersley said she struggled to afford the Monday-Wednesday-Friday parking pass that she purchased for Parking Structure 3—which is one of the cheapest parking options available.
“The other parking structures that charge $400 plus a term to park for a few days out of the week are ridiculous, especially with the state of some of the garages,” Hammersley said. “For example, my Toyota Tacoma—which is not very big—barely fits both height- and width-wise in Parking Structure 3, and is difficult to park unless the stars align to decide that I find a spot that has one open next to it, so I’m not in danger of hitting something as I turn in. The other parking structures aren’t much better.”
Though Hammersley explained how the PSU parking garages are one of the few places she feels safe leaving her car in Portland, she also explained that the lack of lighting in Parking Structure 3 made her anxious—especially after dark.
“When I parked in [Parking Structure 3], I did not like walking back there after my night class at 9 p.m.,” Hammersley said. “It’s not well-lit, and some of the people who hung around that area at night made me anxious. I would like to at least see the price of permits go down to something more reasonable. I would also appreciate better lighting and security in the less central areas of campus in general, not just for the parking structures.”
Ian Stude, director of Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS), explained the prices. Since TAPS is a self-funded department, the funds from parking passes are used to better PSU’s parking structures, increase security and allow for the sale of subsidized TriMet passes.
“There’s no general-fund money,” Stude explained. “There’s no tuition money flowing in. There’s no fees flowing in from regular student fees. Generally speaking, our budget is comprised of the revenue that we bring in through the services we provide.”
In order to provide subsidized TriMet passes, free rides on the Portland Streetcar to PSU students and discounted rates for Biketown, Stude said TAPS would need to pay for these discounts directly. In addition to these public transit and Biketown discounts, Stude said a significant portion of their income goes directly to the maintenance and security of parking structures.
Stude said TAPS is committed to offering some of the most affordable rates in Portland despite PSU parking passes appearing excessively expensive for college students. According to Stude, TAPS intentionally works to keep their prices between 20% and 40% below the typical market price while ensuring the structures’ maintenance and safety.
“It’s extremely expensive to build parking structures and to own, maintain and operate them,” Stude said. “We have made some major investments in securing some of the garages with roll-up doors—particularly with [Parking] Structure 3—which is underway right now. We’re hoping to have new gates in by the start of the fall term to secure that location.”
Stude continued to explain how TAPS’s budget has been reduced by one-fifth, and how they are running at 80% of their pre-COVID-19 budget while trying to provide the same services.
Even with a shrinking enrollment, Stude said TAPS expects 21,000 students on campus this fall—with only 3,800 parking stalls available. Stude said the parking structures are at about 65% capacity as opposed to the 90–95% capacity they saw preCOVID-19 when people were coming to campus more often.
Stude is anticipating a more active and populated campus this year, which would increase the demand for parking. However, he explained how constructing a new parking structure to meet the increased demand would restrict the availability of real estate which could be utilized for other university structures, such as classrooms, laboratories or recreation centers.
“There’s an opportunity cost every time we take up real estate for parking,” Stude said. “We’re choosing[...] something else that’s closer to the mission of this institution. The reason that we focus so heavily on our relationship with TriMet and our integration with their programs is the fact that the university is a hub of the transit network and is designed to facilitate people coming to campus without having to drive.”
Stude explained how he is aware that many patrons of PSU parking structures are concerned about security issues—particularly car break-ins and theft—but wanted to assure them that both TAPS and the Campus Public Safety Office (CPSO) are working hard to ensure the safety and security of parking at PSU.
“We are on track to spend about a half a million dollars adding parking security features,” Stude said. “We have a small, dedicated maintenance group. They are out there every day cleaning up after whatever has happened in the garages[...] We’ve worked very closely with CPSO. Now that they have returned to full staff, they’ve taken this very seriously[...] We’ve started to see a change, and I want to credit that to CPSO and their approach to taking the problem seriously and having the proper staff to address it.”
At this time, CPSO wasn’t able to be reached to comment.
Until several months ago, Stude explained how TAPS used a private security company for their parking structures. CPSO has overtaken security duties for PSU parking structures for the last four to six months. According to a report by TAPS and CPSO, the first six months of 2023 have seen the lowest six-
month average of reported car break-ins since 2018. In 2018, it had the lowest number of reported break-ins at 2.5 a week. In 2019, it had the highest at 6.3 break-ins a week. There were 3.8 break-ins a week in 2020 and 3.9 in 2021. The first six months of 2023 have had 2.7 break-ins a week. Stude encouraged victims of break-ins, theft and other security issues to report these incidents directly to CPSO. That way TAPS and CPSO can continue to identify problems and respond to them effectively.
“Everyone has been impacted to some degree or another,” Stude said. “It is a very difficult problem and, unfortunately, we’ve continued to be a target. But I think the approach that [the] Campus Public Safety [Office] has been taking these last few months has been stellar and has helped us out.”
A week before their 2023 campaign kicks off, Portland State’s football team finds itself in the hands of their seven newly-elected team captains. Between them, they bring 20 seasons of knowledge and communication of the game of football to help the team towards its goals.
Seven athletes were chosen by their teammates and given the honor to represent them—senior linebacker Isaiah Henry, senior offensive lineman Shiloh Ta’ase, senior defensive tackle Dino Kahaulelio, senior running back Andrew Van Buren, senior wide receiver Maclaine Griffin, junior quarterback Dante Chachere and junior safety Tyreese Shakir.
In the collegiate setting, team captains take on an even greater significance. They lead their peers in athletic endeavors and foster personal growth, teamwork and discipline among student-athletes. They serve as role models for their fellow students and athletes, exemplifying the institution’s values and principles. Henry, Kahaulelio and Ta’ase took the time post-practice to talk with Portland State Vanguard about what they bring to their shared leadership roles.
Ta’ase—the offensive lineman who’s brought a wealth of experience since his arrival in 2018—recognized the evolving nature of the team over the years. “I’ve seen how the team has shaped and formed itself in different ways year-to-year,” Ta’ase said.
His role as captain allows him to analyze the team’s dynamics and his position within it, driving him to lead by example and show his teammates how to execute tasks with unwavering determination.
Henry shared his fellow captain’s sentiments on the significance of unity and communication. He believes effective teamwork is essential for a successful defense and that good communication between players is crucial.
“It all starts with communication,” Henry said. “I think that we can’t do anything if we’re not on the same page and [putting in] excellent effort every single time.” His emphasis on the importance of exceptional effort highlights his belief that it can help compensate for any gaps or mistakes on the field.
Kahaulelio echoed the sentiment of effort and determination.
Moreover, his focus on speed and unity within the defensive line highlighted his commitment to excelling as captain.
“So with our speed and the new guys that we brought in with good size, we think [they] could definitely bring that effort and determination to the defensive line unit this year,” Kahaulelio said.
When asked what he brings to the captain’s circle, Kahaulelio believed his deep-rooted knowledge of the game helped him provide insight. “Having a strong IQ of not only the sport but having a good head on your shoulders is a great aspect of being a team captain,” Kahaulelio said. “Having a good IQ and showing good effort to let other people know that I don’t just preach about it—I am about it.”
All these captains recognize the power of communication, and its pivotal role in their leadership styles. They understand that open communication and shared responsibilities builds a cohesive team.
Ta’ase articulated this notion when he spoke about being a playerled team. “We want to make sure that these actions are coming from within the team,” he said. This approach implied both captains and players alike share the responsibilities of steering the
team’s trajectory.
Henry added to this sentiment by underlining the role of two-way communication between the players and the coaching staff. He believes an open dialogue is essential for setting common expectations and goals. “Having those open-door policies, so that we can have those conversations[...], is just important to kind of get things out in the open,” Henry said, highlighting how unity begins with transparency.
Meanwhile, Kahaulelio stressed the importance of balancing athletics and academics. For him, teaching younger players time management becomes crucial in their transition from high school, where they have more flexible schedules. “Definitely work on time management,” Kahaulelio said. “Learning how to balance everything, manage time and write schedules out is a big thing.”
One of the most striking lessons they learned from their collective experiences was the art of adapting to wins and losses. Henry pointed out how understanding the balance between victories and defeats is crucial. He has gleaned insights from winning and losing seasons, emphasizing the significance of building resilience.
“Not everything’s going to be perfect,” Henry said. “Mistakes happen, but I think that exceptional effort, crazy effort, our maniacal effort can kind of compensate for those gaps.” By taking losses as opportunities for growth and transforming them into wins, Henry believes the team can keep pushing forward.
The unity and synchronization of this group of captains is evident in their shared visions for the team. “There’s no cliques inside the team or anything like that,” Ta’ase said. “We are all together as one.” This sense of cohesion extended beyond their interactions on the field by way of them sharing their limited free time together.
With the opening game on the horizon, their united focus remains unwavering. Three of the seven captains underscored the significance of staying mission-focused and united, even as the team faces diverse opponents throughout the season. They have resolved to exceed expectations and demonstrate their commitment to their sport and each other.
JSMA at PSU
Aug. 22–Dec. 2
Free
Chinese-American artist Hung Liu’s art highlights the narratives of workers, immigrants, refugees, women, children and soldiers in haunting, incandescent portraits
Queer Resource Center
Thur, 11 a.m.
Free (students only)
An hour of socializing with other creative folks every Thursday this summer. Some knitting and crochet materials will be provided.
Park Blocks behind SMSU
Sept. 6, 12 p.m.
Free
Celebrate our vibrant LGBTQ+ community with the Queer Resource Center at a lunchtime meetup. Bring your own lunch.
PSU BASIC NEEDS HUB
SMSU Suite 435
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free for students
Helps students access resources such as funds, food, housing, employment, childcare and health support
PSU FOOD PANTRY
1704 SW Broadway (temporary location)
Tues–Thur, 12–4 p.m.
Free for students
Access to free groceries in a welcoming, equitable, trauma-informed way. Must be enrolled in at least one credit for summer or fall.
REACH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
4150 S Moody Ave.
Hours vary
Cost varies
Rent-controlled, income-restricted housing with current open waitlists. Call or go online for more details on availability.
COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY SPACE
730 SW 10th Ave. Suite 111 (entrance on SW 9th Ave.)
Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Free
Multnomah County official cooling center with access to free technology, internet, limited books and events
Varying Locations
Mon–Fri, hours vary Free
Provides energy bill assistance to low-income Oregonians to support household stability
SE MLK Blvd. and SE Belmont St. (under Morrison Bridge)
Hours vary Free
Provides access to showers, toilets, trash drop-off and a clothing and bedding exchange
SHAC MIND SPA
UCB Suite 310
Mon–Fri (by appointment)
Free for students
Solo space to experience biofeedback, light therapy, meditation, massages, relaxation and more. Must be enrolled in at least five credits for summer or fall.
MINDFUL MEANDERINGS
Listen on Spotify Available 24/7
Free
PSU-produced podcast about being mindful while outside, practicing gratitude, finding joy and being in the moment
TELUS HEALTH STUDENT SUPPORT
Download on App Store or Google Play
Available 24/7
Free
Connecting students with free, confidential mental health and wellbeing support
BORP ONLINE FITNESS STUDIO
Watch on Zoom
Mon–Sat, hours vary Free
Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program’s (BORP) virtual exercise classes for people with physical disabilities
COSMIC KIDS YOGA
Watch on Youtube
Available 24/7
Free
Using fun and popular stories to get kids engaged in a calm, relaxing, mindful workout
YOGA FOR BIGGER BODIES
Varying locations
Sun–Thur
$100 for six weeks
Explore Hatha Yoga’s roots, philosophy and mindfulness in gentle, guided classes